The Jets firing Robert Saleh caught the NFL world off guard, including people who were inside New York’s facility when the decision was made.
Saleh was relieved of his duties a few days after the Jets dropped their Week 5 game in London, which sunk New York to 2-3 on the season. ESPN’s Adam Schefter broke the news a little after 10 a.m. ET last Tuesday, which apparently was only moments after Saleh himself found out.
“The actual news occurred only minutes earlier, less than 100 yards from the training room, where chairman Woody Johnson and his brother, vice chairman Christopher Johnson, walked into Saleh’s first-floor office at 10:03 to terminate his employment. That conversation took less than two minutes,” ESPN’s Rich Cimini wrote in a column published last week.
“There was no formal announcement by the team initially. The players, the staff and most in the building found out the same way many NFL fans consume news.”
The report about the abrupt separation added some clarity to rumors about Saleh’s actual exit from the Meadowlands, which reportedly involved team security. Nonetheless, he took the high road when he issued a statement about his termination.
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The Jets continued to make big changes after parting ways with Saleh. Offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett was demoted, Davante Adams was acquired from the Las Vegas Raiders and a potential trade for disgruntled star Haason Reddick reportedly was discussed.
Featured image via Steve Roberts/Imagn Images
